When Cheating is Sometimes Good- The Importance of Cheat Reps

I cannot stress how important strict form is to your muscle gains. It should be the focal point of every workout. Strict form will enable you to target a specific muscle for pure isolation, resulting in more definition and even more strength. Most importantly, strict form is the safest means to prevent injury in the gym. Never forget, safety should always be a big priority because the reason why we lift weights in the first place is because of our health. Why go ahead and screw it up over a long-lasting injury?
However, the cheat rep is often overlooked when it comes to gaining pure muscle mass and strength in the gym. Even the greatest bodybuilder of all-time, Arnold Schwarzenegger, relied heavily on cheat reps in his training routine, specifically for biceps. For example, using a straight 45-pound barbell, I can curl 75 pounds for 12 perfect reps, squeezing the biceps and feeling the blood rush with absolutely no movement in any other body part but my biceps. With cheat reps, I can do 135 pounds for 12 reps. When I feel that I am using other muscles too much to lift the weight, I will stop. Think about this, if I nearly double the weight, and use less form and more sway (but never too excessively), my biceps will adjust to the new weight load. It will shock your muscles with the heavy weight. Your muscles will be like, “Hey, what are you doing to me? Why are you so heavy?” Your muscles will ache and pain its way to lifting the weight. The next time you lift a lighter weight for strict form, it will feel like a feather, and mentally you can do more reps. Obviously, you won’t be able to curl double the amount of weight with strict form in the next workout, but over time, it will become easier and easier.